In the gym, I'm going through the weight routine that I can practically do in my sleep. Part of the formula is progression - that if I am working with 30 pound weights - then certainly 32 pounds is just a little bit better. Since I'm a fairly fit individual, I have very little reason to question the formula - in fact, just the opposite is true - the formula has worked for me.
The problem here is that I'm thinking in just one dimension of success - in this case, the successful repetition and progression of a certain activity. There are days, like yesterday, when my head told me that I had to do 15 reps - but by the 13th rep my muscles were aching and I could feel my shoulder start to strain. If I had dogmatically followed my formula, I would have kept going and perhaps injured myself. Instead, I stopped, recognizing that the formula for success must be met with the dimensionality of both brain and emotional intelligence.
Too often we are the victims of our own formula for success. That if something has worked well for us (and let's face it - we are chagrined to acknowledge that perhaps something hasn't worked well) that then we will just repeat. . .and the more we repeat the more successful we will be.
This isn't true. A formula for success is a guideline; it is meant to be tested by other factors. Has the work climate changed? What is going on with the competitive landscape? What has happened to the team composition? How is everyone (including yourself) feeling these days? If you don't exactly repeat what has been done in the past - what are the opportunities and challenges? Is what has been done in the past truly that effective currently?
Having one's pulse on the workplace and the teams that comprise the workplace is invaluable. It bring dimensionality to whatever formula you may be using. The consistent inquiry regarding formulas used is not heresy; instead, it avoids a dogma that can become deadly.
Formulas can be great - inquiry and emotional intelligence create dimensionality around those formulas - that, then, becomes a winning combination.
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
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